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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26434462">now, we're happy</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ribroast/pseuds/ribroast'>ribroast</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Voltron: Legendary Defender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Canon Compliant, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gay Keith (Voltron), Hurt Keith (Voltron), Implied Sexual Content, Keith (Voltron) Angst, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Keith/Lance (Voltron) Angst, Keith/Lance (Voltron) Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Past Allura/Lance (Voltron), Pining Keith (Voltron), Romance, klance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 04:20:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,836</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26434462</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ribroast/pseuds/ribroast</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Keith and Lance, and a year of acceptance.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Keith/Lance (Voltron)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>116</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>now, we're happy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>howdy everyone, sorry for disappearing off the face of the earth for a second there! i was struggling through a writers block, but i'm getting back into the feel of things. a few things!<br/>1. This is barely edited because I live on the risky side so i'm so sorry if you come across a spelling error.<br/>2. I've opened commissions on tumblr! see the end notes for my tumblr<br/>3. I wrote different stories here and there throughout the month so i will be posting more often B) gotta supply you segzees with the kl food<br/>4. if you have requests they're also open on my tumblr!<br/>ok, enjoy lol</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“What’s your favorite memory of her?” Lance cuts the peaceful silence as they sit on his porch together, a mildly cold beer resting in their cupped hands as they lean back on the wicker couch together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s not a rare request, and Keith racks his brain for something to tell Lance, because he would never deprive him of something like that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“One time, she taught me how to dance.” Keith replies back, a faint smile ghosting his face at the fond memory. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance sits up, back straightening and face unreadable in the dark, probably eyes wide. His knee brushes against Keith’s pressing more insistently like the feeling pressing against his heart. It should be too much with the summer night heat, but it’s not. It’s perfect.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was when we were traveling back to Earth. She sat down next to me, as if the weight of the war wasn’t on her shoulders, and asked how I was doing. We talked for..a while. About anything- everything really. She told me about how her father always talked about purple skies and blushing pilgrim flowers and- it was nice. I had always had trouble fitting in- and when Allura discovered I was galra..for a while, I felt ostracised. But in that moment, I felt as if I was her confidant, and it made me warm inside.” Keith slid his index and thumb up the sweating neck of the bottle, a faint squeak making Keith quickly pull his hand away, wiping the condensation of his fingers and onto his jeans. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Somehow, we started talking about dancing. Waltzing, in particular. She seemed to be really relaxed when talking about it, even took her hair out of that bun at one point, fiddling with the white tips and brushing it behind her ear. I told her about square dancing and she was fascinated. It was quite hilarious really,” Keith giggled. “A princess fascinated by a rowdy bar dance that usually led to bathroom sex and shit.” Lance softly chuckled, and subtly scooted closer, but Keith could feel it. Their shoulders were touching, and Lance’s breath was blowing softly on Keith’s cheek as he heaved in and out softly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We made a compromise, that she would teach me ball dancing, and I would teach her square dancing..to the best of my abilities. I never went, just watched my mom and dad do it in the living room sometimes.” Keith paused for a moment, eyes glazing over slowly as he slowly drifted off into nostalgic memories, the smell of his dad’s cologne and his mother’s foolish giggles a scrappy memory from when he was just a baby. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keep going,” Lance whispered in his ear, and the weight of his head slowly melted onto his shoulder, fitting snugly into Keith’s flushing neck. His left knee scooted up to rest on Keith’s own left as Lance leaned on him, and he shakily continued, ignoring the thumping of his heart. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And- and we danced. She taught me and I was horrible at it at first, stepping on her feet and even tripping awkwardly. But it wasn’t..awkward. You know? It was just, it felt natural, right. Because that was just Allura. A presence that could slide in at any time of your life and dig its roots into every single memory and just- it feels like I’ve known her for a lot longer, I guess.” His voice became a whisper, and Lance’s breathing slowed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Keith.” Lance mumbled, and Keith nodded, staring out into the moonlight drenched field. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course Lance. Anything.” The last word was barely heard, because Lance was asleep by the time he said Keith’s name. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The dirt under Keith’s fingernails made them ache, and he used his pesky thumb to dig some out of his trusty finger. Switching and finishing the job, grunting when the clump of soil fell back into its original place. His nails are stained brown, sod and mud staining his hand, like train lines and subway intersections on a map, his lifeline a brown river. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keith!” Lance yells, and it has Keith reeling, standing up with a smile he just can’t help but let make his lips tug up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance walks towards him, denim short sleeve button down open to reveal a sweaty, tan chest, corduroy pants with a leather belt sitting on his hips, the knees worn and a tear on his right upper thigh. Keith just might pass out, thankful Lance is carrying a tray of lemonade with him, two tall glasses with a couple ice cubes making them look practically frosted, as Lance lets out a tiny whoop of exhaustion and sets down the tray of lemonade on the dejected tree stump. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for helping me out man, I honestly wouldn’t have been able to get this much done without you.” He patted Keith’s back, before sitting down in the dirt and grabbing a glass. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith grabbed the other, sitting next to him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He will admit that he did a good job, better than anything he feels like he’s done with plants in years. He pulled out the weeds in the junni berry and vegetable fields, before watering them and preening the two rows of tomatoes expertly, something he didn’t intend to do in the first place. It had taken all mid morning transitioning to a sluggish afternoon, but the appreciation that Lance radiated off was completely enough to make him feel pride swell in his bones. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Beautiful huh? My favorite view.” Lance sips his icy treat, and Keith glances at him just to read his expression, noticing his altean marks flickering slightly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s thinking about Allura probably, for he’s looking on the juniberry field he just finished weeding. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, it’s pretty handsome.” Keith blurts out, taking in Lance’s perfect brow bone, before stiffening. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, I mean it’s gorgeous. The view, that is.” He clears his throat, before taking a sip of his own lemonade. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s good, refreshing and Keith will put his life on that it’s the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Simply Lemonade</span>
  </em>
  <span>, the taste to familiar not to recognize. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance huffs out of his nose- like a laugh. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How do I get over her Keith?” He blurts out, and though Lance repetitively talks about Allura, this is the first time he’s spoken about moving on. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith first wants to approach him like a hunter circling a sleeping tiger- carefully or not at all, but he backtracks. Knowing Lance, he’ll want the real thing, not the sugar coated reasoning say..Hunk would use. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s hard. It’s hard moving on from someone without fearing you’ll be disrespecting them, without hoping they’ll suddenly come back. That they’ll open the door with a sack full of presents slung on their shoulder, arms open as you run to them and never let them go.” Keith realizes he isn’t talking about Allura anymore, but his dad. He wonders how often he does that, self reflects onto questions asked by others. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That- that isn’t good advice..um.” Keith mumbles, shaking his head before letting the mountains in the distance that frame the green fields speckled with different colors of distant flowers from other farms. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sometimes it’s better to let go than to cling. If you cling, you’ll never get anywhere. You’ll be stuck in the repeated pain of that they aren’t coming back, that they’re gone and </span>
  <em>
    <span>that’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> even more painful than moving on. In order to move on, you have to adknowledge what is in front of you. Not what you miss, or what you want back.” Keith turned to Lance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was clutching the glass, his facial expression thoughtful, biting his lip. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That doesn’t mean you can’t remember and reminisce, but how will you ever be able to do that when you’re stuck reliving it everyday. That’s not..that’s not reminiscing or remembering. That’s living it.” Keith finishes, and he really hopes it’s valuable, he prays. Because he doesn’t know if he phrased it right, doesn’t know if he just made Lance feel worse, doesn’t know if he just made him hate Keith. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You want some more lemonade?” Lance asked, and Keith looked down at his mostly empty glass. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Turning to Lance, his eyes are soft, but he somehow has a hopeful gleam in his eye that makes Keith’s insides become blazing hot. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They really outdid themselves. Everything is so..it’s so..” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shiro. It’s so Shiro.” Keith finishes Lance’s sentence who’s walked up behind Keith, admiring the lantern light fixtures and dim fairy lights that cast a soft glow about the dance floor that’s slowly filling as the music finishes an upbeat tune. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They’re right, a fall wedding for Shiro </span>
  <em>
    <span>is </span>
  </em>
  <span>cliche.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance laughs, coming from behind Keith to next to him, being a bit too close, their arms rubbing against each other in something that has Keith silently reeling, cheeks blushing apple red. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What else do you expect? It’s Shiro’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>wedding</span>
  </em>
  <span>, of course it’s gonna be decked out like a fairy festival.” Keith watches as Shiro and Curtis dance, Shiro doing a horrific robot and sending Curtis into loud laughter that racks his shoulders. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance nudges his shoulder, and Keith turns to him, eyes widening in surprise. He’s holding out his smooth left hand, a timid smile, and altean marks a lavender that Keith can’t remember is the color of them glowing or normally. The hue that bounces off the bottom of Lance’s lids lets him know it’s glowing, and he can feel his cheeks redden as he silently nods, taking his hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Time after Time’ slowly drifts through the music speakers, and Keith freezes up because he realizes that he doesn’t know how to dance for the life of him, the only experience royal ball dancing under his hefty belt. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” Lance seems to realize Keith’s hesitance, and he squeezes the hand taken turning to him on the dance floor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Think of it as a casual version of ball dancing.” Lance stepped closer, grinning. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith felt his hand slowly traverse down to his suit clad waist, cupping the curve right under his ribs, and Keith feels like he can’t breathe because if he were to travel up and over, he’d be touching his nipple. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They start slow, swaying from side to side, Keith’s hand on his shoulder and his other in Lance’s clasped hand, his other hand caressing Keith’s waist. And it feels surreal. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>How can this room be filled with people when it feels like they’re the only two to exist, just Keith staring up into Lance’s vibrant blues, a soft and small smile making Keith suck in his lips to avoid bursting into hysteria. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Song is nice.” Lance’s eyes flick to the side and then back at Keith, and Keith follows his line of sight, almost reflexively pushing himself away when he sees Shiro and Curtis eyeing them smugly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, yeah. My dad liked this song.” Keith let his head fall to rest on Lance’s shoulder, and to his surprise, Lance let him, his head coming to rest on top of Keith’s as if they were two pieces of chocolate melting together, just gooey warmth that makes Keith breathe in this moment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smells like floral essence and something Keith can’t put his finger on, and he acts ohso gentle with him that when they spin slightly, Keith feels as if he’s practically flying, squeezing Lance’s hand that he’s still holding up, so they can still qualify as dancing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Used to dance to it with my siblings.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not a very jazzy song to dance to, huh?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. But we made it work. We called it slow motion dancing.” Keith laughed into Lance’s shoulder, turning his head so his lips hovered over Lance’s neck, so close he could pucker his lips and press a kiss to the smooth skin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds fun. Can you teach me how to slow motion dance sometime?” Keith asks, and he can tell they’re both thinking about Allura in that moment, about Keith’s memory. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. It’s a profound art, so it might be a bit too complicated.” Lance twisted his head, lips traveling through black hair and pressing a featherlight kiss to his skull, one that makes Keith practically internally implode. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The spot Lance kisses is buried by his cheek when he rests his head again, and the spot sends a shock wave of warmth throughout his body, from his head dripping down his throat and filling his lungs, his heart, and his legs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I can learn,” Keith croaks, and he manages to let his eyes shut as the song reaches the final chorus, just wanting to soak up the final moments of being this close to Lance, someone who can be close but far. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>This feels close, Keith can feel him right under his hands, how his hand shakes and when he swallows, he can see his Adam's apple bob right before his eyes. He can hear Lance’s breathing and feel it as he rises on Lance’s chest, and it’s all too much. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before he knows it, Lance is pulling away, and he quickly slides his probably sweaty hand out of Lance’s, nervously smiling, glancing to the side. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Allura would have loved that song.” Lance sighed, tucking his hands back in his pants, and the moment is over. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance becomes the man he’s been all this time, sad and lost in a dead woman’s legacy that he can’t claw himself out of. It makes Keith’s heart sink, and he slowly nods. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh..punch.” Lance points towards the banquet table sporting some (probably spiked) punch and an assortment of cookies and snacks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith gives him a thumbs up, before he watches Lance back up awkwardly, altean marks shrilly glowing, as if pulsating purple. He disappears into the crowd before Keith can raise his hand to wave, and he turns to find Shiro and Curtis looking at him. They both share the same look of smugness, and Keith nervously rolls his eyes, rounding the tables bunched together and walking out of the reception to get some fresh air. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They both stumble into Lance’s house giggling, both wearing the rose colored glasses that make life more enjoyable until the high of their alcohol wears off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance shuts the door behind him, and grabs Keith by the collar. Pushing him against the door, laughing hot breath into his mouth before clumsily pressing open mouthed kisses on Keith’s apple cheeks, who can’t stop laughing, stomach aching. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re drunk,” Keith breathes when Lance’s hands drift down to Keith’s jeans, fiddling with the brass button. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wha’ bout it?” Lance murmurs into his neck, kissing him and laving it with sloppy hickeys that will disappear as quickly as they’re left, not sucked on long enough to remain. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I dunno,” Keith chuckles, lassoing Lance by the neck closer to him, loving the tickling sensation as Lance nibbles on his neck before he comes up, eyes heavy lidded and mouth trout trodden, open slightly so his bottom white teeth poke out behind a plump, cinnamon lip.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This is different, even drunk Keith can establish that. It’s more intimate than sharing lemonade out in the juniberry field or facetiming at the Blade’s base. Keith can practically hear the tension, a sharp ringing in his ears that drowns out all of his other thoughts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lance’s breath is warm against his wet lips, and Keith slowly guides his eyes up to Lance’s. He’s surprised to find them already beaming back, blue that should be lidded but wide and stirring with something he can’t put his eye on. His marks flicker, like an old lightbulb working and they glow a bright light purple. It reminds him of something distant and soft..comforting. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith leans forward, trying to ignore the firework explosion in his chest as he presses his lips against Lance’s who moves them back, biting Keith’s bottom lip, making him gasp and letting Lance slide his tongue in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith feels like he’s melting, and Lance tastes like bar whiskey and confection fruit, his hands coming around to wrap around his waist as he slots his lips perfectly between Keith’s and idly sucks, making him softly moan. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance sweeps Keith up, and he squeals into his mouth, gladly wrapping his legs around Lance’s torso. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they walk down the hall and up the stairs, their kisses get slower, as if they’re both melting into each other. Which each step brings a new sound of their lips pulling away only to dive back into each other, and Keith sighs happily, his lips traveling down Lance’s neck. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The door closes behind them, and when Keith is pushed to the bed, he knows he’ll remember this forever.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So he just- didn’t remember?” Shiro frowns over the call, and Keith nods, not bothering to look up from his Blade Uniform, which he’s sewing up at the moment. There’s a rip on the knee and he can’t have that in </span>
  <em>
    <span>space</span>
  </em>
  <span>, so he uses the special protective thread supplied to him by Cleorik, the Blade seamstress.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In the morning I woke up in the guest bedroom and he was serving me pancakes. Didn’t mention it so I didn’t either.” Keith furrows his brows, trying to focus so his stitching is neat and tight. He would hate for it to come undone during a debriefing or while he was helping infiltrate a base. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shiro sighs. Of course Keith would automatically assume something like this. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keith, just because he didn’t bring it up doesn’t mean he didn’t remember. Last time I checked, Curtis and I didn't talk about our sexual encounters until </span>
  <em>
    <span>after</span>
  </em>
  <span> breakfast.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith dramatically gags, and Shiro ignores him, waving him off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t see him Shiro... Usually after two friends do something like that there is at least some </span>
  <em>
    <span>tension</span>
  </em>
  <span>, maybe some blushing or something. Nothing!” Keith pulled the string carefully, the stitches scrunching together, the patch becoming taught from being stretched across the knee. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean, I guess? I really think you should talk about it with him, or at least keep your eyes open for signs? I mean, you two were both drunk. Normally, I’d be yelling at you right now for taking advantage of him but- you two were both under the influence.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks </span>
  <em>
    <span>dad</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Keith snorted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just giving you advice man! Don’t come crying to me when he remembers before you tell him and freaks out. Just- talk to him. Ok?” Shiro adjusts his dark maroon reading glasses on the brim of his nose. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go read.” Shiro held up a black book, a red flower on the cover. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lame. Bye!” Keith waves at the screen and the call cuts out, leaving Keith alone in his designated room at the base. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith has full intention of bringing up that night with Lance. He really does! Doesn’t want to break any unspoken rules when it comes to consent and hookups, and he feels obligated to. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But when his ship touches down in Lance’s wheat field, most of the bales matted down from Keith landing so many times, he hesitates. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He spots Lance right away, a field over with a round wicker basket on his hip, jeans cuffed up to his middle shin as he wades through the chunky mud in the vegetable field. Round hat shades his skin to a light mocha, and he can see his pleased smile from here, his glowing altean marks that make his heart jump. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though it’s winter things still get a bit hot on the fields, and Keith notes the fuzzy cashmere sweater rejected, laying in the heather.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Will he lose all of this if he tells Lance about their encounter? Will smiles once so vibrant fade into meek nods, and marks glowing so fiercely become dull? Will he revert back to his oldish self, hunched shoulders with bundled nerves puppeteering every step he takes? Will he turn to Allura, a woman that wasn’t and will never be there for him only to receive an empty call in the cold wind?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey! I was starting to think you weren’t ever gonna visit again. It’s been 2 months.” Lance meets him as he’s walking down the ramp, stepping onto it himself, dirty feed against cool industrial steel, becoming a strange violet against the purple flashing lights in mid day. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, sorry about that. Kolivan had me bouncing from one mission to another.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Wrong.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Incorrect, a flat out lie. In fact, he’s only been on 2 missions in the past couple of months. He avoided here, for this very purpose because he’s honestly </span>
  <em>
    <span>terrified</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He’s had a taste of someone he’s been after for an eternity and now he wants more, wants to be enveloped back in his arm and taste those cinnamon lips again. He wants to lay Lance down and feel every inch of him before it’s too late, memorizing it for when he can’t even see those wild blue eyes anymore. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’m..glad you’re back. The juniberries are in full bloom. Allura would have </span>
  <em>
    <span>loved</span>
  </em>
  <span> it.” Lance sighed forlornly looking out onto the field of berry colored flowers, and Keith freezes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s funny how a flower so vibrant blooms in the winter. Sort of symbolic. Like Allura.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> too is another issue. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>How can he even think about the possibility of being with Lance, </span>
  <em>
    <span>kissing </span>
  </em>
  <span>him when he’s still chasing after someone who’s now only an empty presence. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He can’t. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>This is a mistake</span>
  </em>
  <span>, He tells himself when Lance turns back, soft smile and dewy blue eyes that make his throat dry. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s right and he knows it. How can someone who’s still clutching onto the past also be here, in the now. It’s like he was saying before, when they drank lemonade in the field and their hearts slowly pounded together: The past will destroy the present. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So he holds back the wave of adoration he wants to pour onto him, holds back the handholding and the timid kisses along his flickering eyelids. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, she would have.” Keith finds his voice is stony, and he pushes down the rapid warmth that floods his chest when Lance’s smile widens, following him up the dirt path towards the house. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The fairy lights strung about Shiro and Curtis’s backyard have made a reappearance, tied awkwardly around a lone palm tree by the northeast corner of their yard and around the gutter attached to their roof, making a jagged line. It’s Shiro’s childlike craftsmanship for sure. They’re all sitting around the crackling campfire Pidge made in the fire pit, holding chilled glasses of assorted sodas and alcohols to each other's tastes. It’s something that’s a rare occurrence now, and it’s weird. Going from seeing each other every single day and </span>
  <em>
    <span>only</span>
  </em>
  <span> each other to rarely every few months in person, and a couple times on call. It reminds Keith of how fast things can leave, no matter how comfortable- no matter how set in stone they are. It only makes him want to reach the darkest part of space even more, until he’s never seen again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s a morbid thought for a campfire get-together, but it lights his mind on fire, like his brain was doused in gasoline and someone dropped a match, igniting it in one foul go. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know about you, but I kinda miss space goo.” Hunk leans further into Pidge’s side, and she gives him a disgusted look. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?! It was fun to create different recipes and stuff. And then you guys would try ‘em. One time, Allura and I made a blueberry food goo...” Hunk’s eyes seem to widen in horror when he realizes what he’s done, and all of them turn their heads to Lance, who is sitting criss cross in a chair next to Hunk, like a knight at the head of the table. He’s wrapped in a speckled parka and Keith clenches his drink harder when Lance smiles, shaking his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Guys, it’s fine. I like hearing stuff about her. I’m..I’m not some heartbroken boy that wets his pants everytime he hears his dead ex girlfriend’s name. It’s slow but I'm working on it.” Lance’s answer surprises everyone, even Keith, and Hunk reaches over, patting his shoulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s great Lance.” He warmly smiles at his best friend, and Lance’s marks glow with pride, a deep sea greenish. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Spring must have brought a new Lance, because only 3 months ago when Keith saw Lance last was he forlornly staring at his juniberry field. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith has picked up on Lance’s marks enough to know what each slight shade of color is. Sometimes they’re the same. A cyan for happiness, and a dark blue for despair and anger. A flicker of lavender for something random that Keith can’t put his finger on, and a sea green for pride. Familial, platonic love, because whenever Pidge concedes to a hug they gleam like seaweed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Allura would be so proud of you, Lance.” Shiro smiles from across the way. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think she would too.” Lance sips his drink, cyan bubbling over the metallic cup.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“One time, Allura threw up on me.” Keith blurted out, cheeks reddening with embarrassment when he realized the story didn’t correlate with the mood. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?! When did this happen?” Lance sputtered, and Keith’s eyes nervously flicked to him, and then back to the hypnotic camp fire. Though the orange flames might burn his corneas if he gets to close, his eyes are glued to it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We still had the castleship and we were going through a wormhole. I guess the ride was rocky because when I approached her to ask her about something, she turned to me and just blew chunks all over my front. It was pink too.” Keith chuckled, and Pidge and Hunk burst into laughter. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Even her throw up was as elegant as her,” Shiro chuckled, and though Lance remained silent, there was a sea green glow to his face and a big smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sea green? </span>
  <em>
    <span>Huh. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you miss her?” Curtis, who was sitting next to Shiro, arm wrapped around his back, blurted out, smiling nervously. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Curtis..” Shiro whispered, placing a hand on his collar as if to resist him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Everyday.” Lance sighed, and his voice, husky and soft was enough to make Keith fall out of his chair as he gulped back another chug of his drink. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But..I’m surrounded by things that constantly remind myself of her. So in a way, she never left.” His fingers grip his drink, a small, sad smile on his lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The group was quiet, and there was an unsaid agreement that they all missed her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If she was still here, do you think you would still be dating her?” Curtis blurted out again, and this time, Pidge turned to him in alarm. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It sent Keith reeling, and he turned in Lance’s direction, heart thumping so hard against his chest he thought it might break out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance is silent for a moment, just watches Curtis with a blank expression. Though he’s silent, his marks aren’t. When are they ever?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They transition slowly. At first, the sea green fades, and they’re the dormant light blue color when Lance feels well, normal. But then, they bloom into a soft fuschia, then lavender, as if he was blushing through his marks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Definitely not.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keith!” Shiro whispers yells as he rushes down the hall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s washing the leftover dishes in the sink from when they all  had dinner earlier when Shiro practically attacks him. Everyone has gone home, leaving Keith, Shiro, and Curtis who was cleaning up the discarded trash in their backyard. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You dirty bird! I’m so happy for you and Lance!” Shiro ruffles his hair, the smell of his cologne overpowering. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Keith pushes away eyebrows furrowed in confusion, hands sopping wet from the sink, bubbles dusting Shiro’s shirt. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You and Lance. You told him and now you’re together..right? I mean, come on Keith. I’m your brother, and Lance’s ‘definitely not’ statement basically confirmed it!” Shiro scooted him aside with his hip, digging into the dishes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh..about that..” Keith runs, gradually drying his hand through his hair, and Shiro freezes, his smile falling into an angry glare. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keith.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shiro.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Keith.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Shiro drys his hands and turns off the sink, leaning against it. His lips are pursed and Keith can tell he’s vexxed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I couldn’t. I just- couldn’t. It would ruin everything!” Keith toed the tile ground, he feels the frustration making his eyes sting. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keith, were you </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> there earlier? You really think it’s going to ruin everything after what happened not even an hour ago?” Shiro ludicrously gawked at him, and Keith’s mind drifted off back to the campfire, the scent of chocolate drifting from Pidge’s mug across the way lingering in his nostrils. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Definitely not.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Somehow, the silence that was already there becomes dead quiet. A piece of fuzz could land on the ground and monumentally echo in all of their ears, wide stares and some trout mouthed. Keith’s heart feels raw and it stops like it’s just been caught in something morally wrong, his hands clenching the cup. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I think I finally realized the flaws between us, and overtime I started confiding her less in a lover and more in a..friend. I think she felt the same way too.” Lance smiles, like he’s distantly thinking of a memory. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Keith has to turn off his mind for a moment. It’s like an explosion without the aftershock, just the visual of everything blasting out of proportion. Something that had burned in Lance for years suddenly fizzled out just like that? Something Lance had wanted, craved and when finally had never wanted to let go just brushed off? Keith couldn’t wrap his head around it. He just couldn’t.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I was.” Keith grit his teeth, picking at the loose thread on his sweater. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok, then you shouldn’t even be here right now. You should have left with Lance, like he </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanted you too, dummy.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s crap.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I said that’s crap!” Keith yelled, and something inside him stirs, it’s going to explode like Lance’s admission from earlier except with the aftershock and all. It feels like a deadly viper, bobbing its head as it’s wrapped around Keith’s neck, muzzle pressed up against the back of his neck, fangs gleaming, about to puncture. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keith, you’re making this way fucking harder than it needs to be.” Shiro pinches his scarred nose, mouth curling into an unpleasant snarl. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know what, fuck off Shiro. You don’t know jack shit!” Keith grabbed for his crumpled bag sitting on the table, spinning off towards the back porch. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have you ever considered at least telling him how you feel?! Just to get it off your chest?!” Shiro calls, and it makes Keith freeze. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because he has. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He throws his bag to the floor, and he knows this is a stupid fight, that he’s taking it out on Shiro and doesn’t have the right, but it’s now like he can’t control himself and he realizes, </span>
  <em>
    <span>oh.</span>
  </em>
  <span> This is the explosion. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shiro, I’ve thought of every way I could bring it up. Write him a letter, so he reads it slowly, seeing that my handwriting is shaky. Sending him an impromptu text message with digital hearts, a short proclamation of something that might end up getting my head chopped off because of it’s casualness! I’ve thought of telling him face to face, with a shoddy bouquet of daisies and soft words that make his eyes widen in fear. But I know how </span>
  <em>
    <span>all </span>
  </em>
  <span>of those end. I get a short letter back, filled with apologetic synonyms and words to soften the devastating blow of rejection. I get digital hearts back, dripping with platonic adoration that will make my fucking eyes </span>
  <em>
    <span>bleed</span>
  </em>
  <span>. And the last one would be the most painful. You wanna know why Shiro?” Keith rasps, looking up from the blurry tile to find a pale Shiro. His mouth is a tight line, eyebrows furrowed in reigned thought. Keith doesn’t let him answer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know. I’ve seen it in my mind, thought of it constantly. It might be conspired by </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span> but it’s so realistic it has to be a sign from whoever the fuck is up there or whatever.” Keith sniffed, crossing his arms, and he feels a tear drip down his cheek as the dull thrum of his hollow heart dries his throat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’d smile softly, and my heart would leap at the hope of what would come next for us. But then he would cup my face and tell me what an amazing friend I am.” Keith pauses again, mainly because he has to, swallowing tersely and focusing on the dejected bag now strewn across the floor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’d be gentle about it, calm and soothing. Take the bouquet gently and slowly unsheathe a flower by the thin stem. He’d put it in my coat pocket. He’d back away staring at me as I watched him..” Keith choked back more tears, the taste of salt on his bottom lip where some tears creep. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As I watch him walk away from me. And it would never be the same again.” Keith whispered, shame making his fists clench his sides as fat tears roll down his frosted cheeks, lip quivering like a child’s. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shiro doesn’t say anything. Keith doesn’t know if he’s stunned or if that he just doesn’t care, and Keith doesn’t know if he cares either. He looks up from the stoic leather bag, to be surprised to find his brother crying as well. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His eyes are red and glassy, bottom lip threaded by his teeth, and he sniffs again, bringing a large hand up to wipe across his scar, smudging a wet train of light. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok buddy. I understand now. You don’t have to tell him.” Shiro nods,and relief makes Keith’s knees practically buckle as he leans down reaching for his bag.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Keith gives him one last look before spinning off and out the door, and Shiro remains there until he hears the loud whirring of Keith’s rented hoverbike speeding away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll tell him for you.” Shiro whispers, turning to the computer sitting on the table. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, you’re telling me humans wear </span>
  <em>
    <span>white</span>
  </em>
  <span> to weddings? That’s such a trivial color!” Ezor gasps from Zethrid’s lap, and she lassos her arms tighter around her girlfriend’s thick neck as if the thought of wearing white to a wedding is scary. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“On Earth, white represents purity, peace, and happiness. Good stuff, I guess.” Keith doesn’t look up from the disks of </span>
  <em>
    <span>Orlite </span>
  </em>
  <span>he’s sifting through, searching for a certain one with a blue strip through the middle, per Kolivan’s orders. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The box of Orlite sits on his lap where he’s hanging out with Zethrid, Ezor, and Acxa, his Blade friends; acquaintances? He wasn’t sure. They’re hanging out in the lunchroom today, and Keith tries to distract himself from the revolting noise of Acxa pushing her dragonfruit around on her plate, an apparent universal fruit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How weird. It seems that many Galran traditions are practically the opposite from Human ones. Poor thing.” Acxa pats his head, and Keith cringes, all with a small smile because of their ignorance to Keith’s personal space problem. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Little Blade, you have a paper fragment delivery.” A gruff voice interrupts Ezor’s chatter, and Keith looks up from the hypnotic Orlite. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What the fuck is a paper fragment?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The unknown blade member thrusts out a slightly crumpled envelope, and a lightbulb in Keith goes off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ohhh, ok. Thank you...Zenok?” Keith winces, and the blade member nods. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith’s been in the blades long enough now to recognize most of them. It’s strange how he can, but since joining his scent has been slightly heightened around other Galra. It’s like seeing someone’s appearance but as papaya and grapefruit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sifts the envelope through his fingers, because this is quite peculiar. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He doesn’t remember the last time he even received a letter. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The envelope is a sky blue, and he instantly thinks of tan skin and blue eyes…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He rips open the envelope without a second thought, and a folded up paper falls out, the size of if he put his pointer and thumbs together to make an awkward square. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He opens it and..</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Dear Keith, </b>
</p><p>
  <b>I’ve kissed this paper about a thousand times, I hope you can feel them from there. </b>
</p><p>
  <b>From Lance</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Keith’s breath hitches, and he brings the letter up to his face, just so he can read the scrawled out writing once more. He can smell Lance on this letter, he can smell the ocean scents and </span>
  <em>
    <span>Simply Lemonade</span>
  </em>
  <span> and can see the rough outline of a kiss mark in shimmer gloss that makes his cheeks glow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If he had marks, they would be pretty purple, glowing brightly for Lance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But most of all, he’s confused. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What does it say?” Acxa asked, leaning to peek over. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith for some reason shields it awkwardly, shoving it down his breastplate with an awkward smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just something from my friend.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Judging from that infatuated expression, they must be more than friends!” Zethrid teases, lifting her head from where it rested in the crook of Ezor’s neck fondly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, is it Lance?” Acxa smirks, and Keith </span>
  <em>
    <span>sputters</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?!” Keith can feel the corners of his lips curling at the thought of Lance, and he clears his throat to try and shift back into a more serious mood. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keith, don’t try to lie. Veronica,</span>
  <em>
    <span> Lance’s sister</span>
  </em>
  <span>, is my partner. She’s Lance’s emotional dumping ground.” Acxa has a fond expression, and horrified, Keith remembers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ok, now he’s really confused. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait- what? Are you saying that Lance likes me?” Keith’s heart feels like it’s going to explode, like he’s just stood up too fast, the corners of his vision turning a crisp black.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought it was a known fact that you were both infatuated with each other?” Acxa gives him a puzzled look, and it sends the box of Orthite flying, Ezor lunging for it just in time and ludicrously looking up to scold Keith. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Only he’s not there, he’s sprinting down the hall towards the hangers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It only gets weirder from there. Weirder than the time in 2nd grade where Keith played house with Mary Kate and kissed her because ‘daddies kiss mommies’-(even though he couldn’t help but think he wanted to kiss </span>
  <em>
    <span>another</span>
  </em>
  <span> daddy instead). </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because maybe a quarter of the way from Earth where Keith is idly flying to, he gets a message. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s from Lance, and he opens it. And he fucking lurches to a stop, eyes wide in shock at the digital letterst that read in front of him. </span>
</p><p>
  <b>We need to talk. I have something to say to you..</b>
</p><p>
  <span>He doesn’t realize that tears are clouding his eyes, that the breastplate feels too tight on his chest, and he lets out a shaky breath, letting go of the thrusters that guide him through the black abyss of space. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He speeds up with a tiny whimper, alarmingly fast now, and he has to remind himself to place his hands back where they had been skittering across the purple steel on his chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He doesn’t think about the message as he flies, no- hurls himself into the portal leading him to the side of the universe Earth was nestled in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s a flurry of purple and blue that Keith is used to, except it seems more frantic now, as if it’s trying to push him through faster and faster, sensing Keith’s urgency. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It spits him out and he doesn’t hesitate to speed faster and faster towards the blue dot that’s slowly becoming bigger. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He doesn’t understand the urgency. There’s a deep part of him that knows he could have flown out to Earth with the rest of the blades in a few weeks, and whatever was going on was still concrete. But he can’t help but fear, can’t help but wonder if this</span>
  <em>
    <span> isn’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>real. If when he gets there Lance will say hi and then he’ll look out the window at the juniberry field and Keith will </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His heart leaps at the thought and he swallows, knowing he’s going to have to tide over the jumping excitement in his gut because his journey is still a few hours long. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few hours might as well be years because by the time he breaches the atmosphere, Keith is aching with mixed emotions. Feelings in his chest are tighter than before, and he miraculously slices through the sky until he’s circling Lance’s property. He knows it from the sky so well, the cluster of trees that’s on the property a pretty green turning dark, signaling the cusp of summer and the end of spring. The fields are neat and Keith’s heart clenches when the house he’s grown so accustomed to staying in grows closer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The landing is sloppy, and he yelps when he’s jostled in his seat. The buttons whir and the collective lavender purple that brings such good energy fades into a normal slate gray, like the rest of the interior of Keith’s pod. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He can’t help but check himself in his reflection of the crystal clear teleduv screen, and he takes this time to calm down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He heaved in a few breaths, wincing at his disheveled hair in the mirror-like plate. He forgot to brush it. And there’s a pimple sprouting under his bangs on his forehead, where the sun doesn’t reach and the sweat collects. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His fingernails dig into the upholstery of the seat. Somehow this is more frightening than his two year weblum trip. He doesn’t know whether it’s because he never saw </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> on the weblum, or because he didn’t have his humongous wolf dog with him to bite Lance’s head off if he rejected Keith. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A clatter startles Keith, and he springs up, looking towards the noise. A tiny pebble hits against the window of the ship again, and Keith squints in the deep twilight, recognizing a tall figure. It waves, and Keith bites his lip, slowly turning towards the entrance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, he can’t linger anymore. Lance has seen him. His footsteps seemed amplified by 100 times, like gongs screaming in his ears as he walks down the tin corridor and types in the code shakily, the door sliding open with a somewhat satisfying unseal and a creak. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s met with Lance standing at the bottom of the ramp, hands dug into his pockets, marks fluttering and flicking like a glitch in his system. Keith feels like a goghurt, his insides being pushed up his esophagus, and out his mouth, like he could explode right then and there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith realizes that they haven’t spoken yet, and he takes a sheepish step forward, the door sliding behind him automatically, making some of his raven baby strands blow idly in the simulated wind. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You wanted to talk to me?” He asks, and there’s a part of him that’s tugging on the fabric skin of his Blade’s uniform, saying </span>
  <em>
    <span>let’s go, he’s played you too much</span>
  </em>
  <span>. But there’s also another part of him that wants this, craves this more than he ever has, has to see for himself if </span>
  <em>
    <span>this is even real-</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re thinking too much. I can see it.” Lance smiles, his white teeth illuminating the once quiet face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith can’t help but offer a small grin, stiffly awaiting Lance as he begins to walk up the ramp. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah well, you don’t leave me much of a choice. You’re hard to read now.” He swallows, his eyes drifting down from Lance’s face to his chest, where his neck meets his collarbone, where he visibly swallows. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t have to be.” Lance links his confident pinky with Keith’s shaking one, hooking his hand and bringing it to his chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It lays stiff there against cotton, until the pale hand slowly unfolds, the pink fingertips sprawling out against a palpable heartbeat that makes Keith almost dig his fingers into Lance’s flesh. The beat was erratic. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Feel that?” Lance asks, his other hand coming to rest on Keith’s right hip softly, to where Keith barely notices it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” Keith whispers, the thumping under his palm almost freaky. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s you.” His voice grounds Keith, and the breeze around them slows to a slow trickle between the decreasing space. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And it’s almost unbelievable. He’s not sure if this is real, if he’ll wake up in a second and have to cry himself back to sleep. It’s something he’s wanted for so long now- years and years, and now that he has it it’s almost...not exciting? As if shock...but without the sudden pain but all the drowsiness and heavy lids. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He lets out a breath of air, and before he knows it, his forehead is resting against Lance’s. His breath is like wintermint and he’s so warm, like a home Keith barely had. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He slowly blinks open, his eyes flicking to the right, and that’s when cloud 9 dissolves, and has him plummeting towards Earth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A singular juniberry, a lone wolf from the pack grows proudly, as if it’s chin is jutted in the air, vibrant pink petals starving the poor green grass under it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Allura,” Keith whispers, pulling back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My mind,” Lance blurts, and his hands lasso Keith back by his lower torso, pulling him to his pelvis, closer but not to Keith’s dismay. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Allura will always be someone who is in my mind..she was my girlfriend once, and I loved her..” His nose is centimeters from Keith’s and Keith can see the array of blue flecks in Lance’s eyes, his breath warming Keith’s lips like a dull fire. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My love for her has grown into something different, and hers did too. Long before mine. More importantly...she’s now my family. Always will be.”His hand slowly travels up Keith’s him, coal hot fingers skidding across his ribs and back down again to it’s post in the slight dip of Keith’s waist. He shivers, swallowing and Lance presses even closer, Keith’s hand almost squashed between their bodies, still feeling Lance’s quickening pulse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But my heart,” Lance’s cheeks explode in a glowing purple, his altean marks practically singing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith has to hold in a shaky gasp, because he now recognizes what the color purple means. It means love, that Lance </span>
  <em>
    <span>loves</span>
  </em>
  <span> what he’s thinking about. He thinks of all the times the color flickered on his cheeks when they’d just be sitting around together, or that time against the door, or even at the get together not too long ago. He can’t put it together that it might have been for him- and the insecure thought of Allura still paws at his shoulders. He thinks about the times his marks glowed a lavender near the beginning, how when he would look at her picture they would gleam a weak mauve.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Stop that. Lance was mourning.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>And the more mature side of him is right. Lance did date Allura, and he can’t keep bringing it up as an excuse not to act on his own emotions. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My heart is yours.” Lance interrupts Keith’s thoughts, and it’s an electric shot, Keith’s once lidded eyes widening. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keith, I..I love you. I’ve loved you for a very very long time now. Before Allura. Before space, if you can believe that. I think about you day and night, I breathe you in and out; you’re my home. I followed you across the universe..and I would do it again and again.” He says. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith gas ps, because it’s what he’s wanted to hear for so long, and now that he has it it’s addicting. Lance chuckles, brushing his nose against Keith’s. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Say you’ll be mine, please.”Lance begs, and Keith snaps like a tightly pulled wire, falling into Lance, his arms coming to wrap around Lance’s neck. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m yours.” He gulps, and Lance’s eyes sparkle, even so close Keith never goes out of focus, can see every twitch in Lance’s brow and can hear every breath. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Forever?” Lance wiggles his brows, and Keith chuckles, coming closer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Forever.” He kisses Lance softly, and it feels like every puzzle piece of his life has clicked together. Every mistake he’s made, every problem that wormed its way under Keith’s skin doesn’t matter right now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>This is what purple is. It’s red and blue, two clashing opposites connecting; colliding and making a smooth purple. It’s rain and sun and everything that reminds Keith of </span>
  <em>
    <span>Lance</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance hums deeply, backing Keith up until he’s pressed against the door, and Lance’s hand and traveling up and down Keith’s back in a rub. Keith tightens his grip around Lance’s neck, pressing more kisses to his swollen lips more desperately, as if Lance would be ripped away from his fingers at any second. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re still a good kisser,” Lance mumbles between smooches, veering to his cheek and under his ear, sending a visible shiver through Keith. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you do remember?” Keith pushes Lance back slightly, raising a brow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course! It was our second bonding moment. Except instead of you cradling me, I was cradling </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Lance winked, and Keith playfully smacked him, making him laugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So we’re really doing this?” Keith asks, and Lance calms down, stepping back closer to Keith, brushing a piece of bang out of his flushed face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you let me, I want to </span>
  <em>
    <span>always </span>
  </em>
  <span>do this.” And Lance did it so easily, expressed himself like it was jumping off the tip of his tongue. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love you.” Keith answers back, and Lance smiles at him like he’s hung the moon and stars, eyebrows creased slightly and lavender marks still shining profusely, like an eternal flame. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think we’ve established that. Let’s go inside, ok?” His hand slides into Keith’s and before he knows it, and he backs up, like leading a horse. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith may have not seen this on the weblum. He may have seen flashes of Allura and Lance holding hands on the Atlas, may have seen a goodbye kiss he had mistaken for a new beginning on the weblum. But Keith can see this future with Lance, and he knows that this is definite.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.” Keith smiles wide, sidling up to Lance, their shoulders brushing up against each other as they make their way to Lance’s dimly lit farm house. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh! I forgot!” Lance pauses, and pulls out a small bouquet of daisies from his back pocket. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For you, my love. They were daisies..right?” Keith grins, taking the </span>
  <em>
    <span>slightly crumpled</span>
  </em>
  <span> bouquet in his right hand, before pausing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shiro said it was daisies..I could have sworn..” Lance mumbled to himself, and Keith realized. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That asshole! He went and told you!” Keith exclaimed, and Lance laughed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah..he did. I’m really glad though. I thought you didn’t feel the same way for a minute there.” Lance scratched the back of his head modestly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?! I’ve been crazy for you since...since the fucking Garrison!” Keith couldn’t believe the ludicrousy of the situation. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Also he couldn’t believe his backstabbing brother!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well that makes two of us!” Lance screeched, and they both laughed, relacing their hands together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s your favorite memory of her?” They’re sitting on the porch together, Keith’s legs thrown over Lance’s lap, head on his shoulder, nestling a lukewarm beer between their bellies. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance hasn’t asked that question in a while, but it will always be the same answer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She taught me to dance. We both sucked, but it sort of unionized us...made us both put our trusts in each other.” Keith chuckles, staring out onto the field lit by the summer stars above them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I miss her.” Lance sighs, and Keith glances up at him to greet light green marks illuminating tan cheeks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There’s a drum in Keith’s heart that makes him feel warm and spacey, and he presses his face back down into the curve of Lance’s neck, soaking in the smell of his shampoo and something that reminds him of his mom. Lance hums happily, leaning down to press a kiss to Keith’s head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wish she was here to see what she’s done.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith smirks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh? And what’s that?” He looks back up again, and sees a stupidly soft look, blue eyes twinkling brighter than the thousands of stars above them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She gave me you.” Lance whispers, and Keith feels like he’s flying, soaring past the big dipper and twirling around Orion's belt. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You big dummy, I’ve always been here.” Keith replies, scooting impossibly closer, until the beer bottle is nudged into the cracks of the couch cushion, out of the way. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re right, you have.” Lance’s arm wraps around Keith’s shoulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So what now, Keith?” He asks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now?” Keith echos, and he looks back out at the field. The juniberries are closed, pink petals that playfully dance in the sunlight stoically still. That is, until Keith squints to spot one amongst the clutter. It’s wide open drinking in the moonlight, petals a champagne in the stark whiteness. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smiles. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now, we’re happy.” Keith turns back to him, and doesn’t hesitate when Lance leans down and kisses him, his marks glowing purple.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>tumblr: ribroast<br/></p></blockquote></div></div>
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